Lakewood Ranch resident picked as MPO adviser

Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 11:09 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 11:09 p.m.

MANATEE COUNTY - Lakewood Ranch residents and business owners worried about the potential traffic snarls and other impacts of upcoming highway and bridge projects will have a new advocate to represent their interests before regional transportation planners.

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Eva Rey, the executive director of the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority, is to fill a vacancy on an advisory board of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization.

In a 4-3 vote Tuesday, the Manatee County Commission nominated Rey to serve on a citizens panel that advises the regional agency that prioritizes federally and state-funded road, bridge and transit projects.

The MPO's board, which is comprised of mostly elected officials from the counties and municipalities, will be asked to ratify Rey's appointment.

Jeffrey Orenstein — publisher of “Living on the Suncoast Magazine,” a former Manatee County planning commissioner and also a Lakewood Ranch resident — applied for reappointment to the same seat on the MPO advisory board.

“I know them both,” Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, whose district includes Lakewood Ranch, said of Rey and Orenstein. “I highly recommend them both.”

Because only one position is available, Baugh nominated Rey.

She said she was swayed by more than 30 emails from representatives of homeowner associations and community development districts in Lakewood Ranch in support of Rey's application.

Those association and district panels urged Rey to apply and give them a direct line of communication with the key decision makers for the area's transporation network.

Rey said several ongoing transportation issues are of interest to Lakewood Ranch residents and business owners:

• The diverging diamond interchange to be built at Interstate 75 and University Parkway.

• The upcoming construction of the Fort Hamer Bridge on the Manatee River, which will add traffic to Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.

• Demands for public transit in Lakewood Ranch. (Sarasota County Area Transit recently started a University Parkway route. Manatee County Area Transit will soon start a State Road 70 route.)

<p><em>MANATEE COUNTY</em> - Lakewood Ranch residents and business owners worried about the potential traffic snarls and other impacts of upcoming highway and bridge projects will have a new advocate to represent their interests before regional transportation planners.</p><p>Eva Rey, the executive director of the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority, is to fill a vacancy on an advisory board of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization.</p><p>In a 4-3 vote Tuesday, the Manatee County Commission nominated Rey to serve on a citizens panel that advises the regional agency that prioritizes federally and state-funded road, bridge and transit projects.</p><p>The MPO's board, which is comprised of mostly elected officials from the counties and municipalities, will be asked to ratify Rey's appointment.</p><p>Jeffrey Orenstein — publisher of “Living on the Suncoast Magazine,” a former Manatee County planning commissioner and also a Lakewood Ranch resident — applied for reappointment to the same seat on the MPO advisory board.</p><p>“I know them both,” Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, whose district includes Lakewood Ranch, said of Rey and Orenstein. “I highly recommend them both.”</p><p>Because only one position is available, Baugh nominated Rey. </p><p>She said she was swayed by more than 30 emails from representatives of homeowner associations and community development districts in Lakewood Ranch in support of Rey's application.</p><p>Those association and district panels urged Rey to apply and give them a direct line of communication with the key decision makers for the area's transporation network.</p><p>Rey said several ongoing transportation issues are of interest to Lakewood Ranch residents and business owners:</p><p>• The diverging diamond interchange to be built at Interstate 75 and University Parkway.</p><p>• The upcoming construction of the Fort Hamer Bridge on the Manatee River, which will add traffic to Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.</p><p>• Demands for public transit in Lakewood Ranch. (Sarasota County Area Transit recently started a University Parkway route. Manatee County Area Transit will soon start a State Road 70 route.)</p><p>• Creating north-south thoroughfares through Lakewood Ranch linking Manatee and Sarasota counties as alternatives to I-75.</p><p>“I can lend a voice on these very important issues,” Rey said. “A lot of people feel in the dark about plans for transportation.”</p><p>She could also be a conduit for dialogue between the MPO and the Lakewood Ranch boards for which she works, Rey said.</p><p>Commissioners John Chappie, Carol Whitmore and Robin DiSabatino also supported Rey's nomination.</p><p>Commissioners Larry Bustle, Betsy Benac and Michael Gallen voted to reappoint Orenstein.</p><p>The Inter-District Authority recently renewed Rey's contract for another three years. The authority oversees Lakewood Ranch's five community development districts.</p><p>Lakewood Ranch, an 8,000-home and still expanding community east of Interstate 75, established the CDDs with taxing powers to pay for and maintain its roads, parks and other infrastructure.</p><p>Rey previously worked as director of purchasing and support service in The Villages, a master-planned community near Ocala.</p>